FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lonny Wunder or Wayne Ginsberg:(530) 666-9700
This Memorial Day, Pay Tribute to the Tractor
Tractor Technology that Gave Birth to the Tank will be Honored at Upcoming Festival
“The Best Show on Tracks” June 20-22 in Woodland, Calif.
WOODLAND, Calif. – Although Memorial Day is traditionally a time to pay tribute to those who have died fighting for our country, it can also be a great occasion to remember the contributions of tractors to the American war effort. Believe it or not, the humble tractor played a major role in the development of one of the 20th century’s most potent weapons – the tank.
In 1916, the British Army built the first tanks used in modern warfare by adding armor and guns to crawler-style “caterpillar” tractors made by the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California – the company that later became Caterpillar. When these monster machines hit the battlefield in World War I, they inspired “shock and awe” that would have been unimaginable to farmers who used the tank’s agricultural cousins to plow fields.
And now, the technology that gave birth to the tank is going to be honored by tractor fans from around the globe at a once-in-a-lifetime festival sponsored by The Heidrick Ag History Center in Woodland, California. Billed as “The Best Show on Tracks,” the three-day show June 20-22 will feature more than 400 antique farm machines, with a special emphasis on the crawler tractor and its role in history.
“The Best Show on Tracks will actually depict the history of the crawler tractor from its infancy up until World War II,” said Tom Madden, an avid tractor collector and Heidrick Ag History Center Board Member who came up with the idea for the show. “Just about every Caterpillar and its predecessor will be there. This is going to be the only place and the only time you will be able to see all of these tractors together.”
Many of the vintage machines that will be shown are rare or the last surviving model of their kind, including Madden’s own 1919 Best 60 model 101A – which is known as “The Gold Standard in Collectible Caterpillars.” Organizers are also planning a surprise unveiling of an extremely rare 1932 tractor whose make and model are being kept secret. Festival organizer Allan Harris temptingly calls the mystery machine, “a missing link in the Caterpillar story.”
The festival will also serve as the annual convention of the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club (ACMOC), and members are expected to come from around the world to show off their machines.
For additional information on the June 20-22 event, please visit: www.bestshowontracks.org or www.aghistory.org
PHOTOS AVAILABLE
CONTACT: Lonny Wunder, Event Manager: (530) 666-9700 (office); (530) 204-7415 (cell); lwunder@aghistory.org OR Wayne Ginsberg, Publicity: (530) 666-9700 (office); (530) 304-8336 (cell); waynemg6@mac.com
